Peak Year For Southern IL Rivalries

MOUNT VERNON - The next couple of Friday nights are going to be awfully loud in quite a few high school gymnasiums across the state. There will be none louder than two pairs of Southern Illinois rivalry matchups with some deeply-rooted history: Waltonville vs Woodlawn and Mt. Vernon vs Centralia. If you’ve stepped foot in the gym for one of these games before, you know that if you show up after 6:30pm you probably won’t have a seat. That will be the case again this year as many, many people are excited to see these teams play one another in what should be very competitive basketball games. The stakes are heightened more than they’ve ever been as all four teams are state-ranked. Adding to that even more, this will be the last year of the Midland Trail Conference Tournament and the last year that Mt. Vernon and Centralia will be South 7 opponents. With all of those added factors, it should make these games that much more exciting to watch. 

 The Waltonville Spartans are off to a 5-0 start to begin the year under 9th-year head coach Anthony Lowery. The Spartans are ranked #2 in the state in 1A right now and for good reason. Waltonville returns nearly all of the team from a year ago that finished 28-5 with a regional title. 6’6” senior Gage Peterson has been a catalyst for the Spartans on both sides of the ball. He creates a lot of problems for opposing defenses especially as he can not only hurt you in the paint, but has the ability to blow by you like a guard and shoot it from beyond the arc at a high clip. The other twin tower, 6’5” junior Jagger Mayville, is another key piece of the Spartan success as he can shoot the trey at a high clip as well, get around defenders off the dribble and block shots. 5’11” junior guard Witten Devor typically threads the needle for the Waltonville offense as he is their primary ball handler. Devor’s combination of strength and speed mixed with his ability to shoot the triple at a high percentage make him a tough matchup for opposing teams. 6’1” senior Riley Stewart is another tough one to match up with as he possesses guard skills but is very “country strong” and can bully you in the post as well. 5’11” senior Weston Rose has done a fantastic job stepping into a starting role this year. He has brought the ball up some for the Spartans as well. Rose shoots the triple at a high clip and uses his speed to get around you and get to the cup. 5’11” senior guard Brendan Klingler has been the first guy off the bench for the Spartans and has hit some big shots for the Ville. He brings veteran experience to an already battle-tested group. Juniors Carter Stewart, Brighym Bequette and Aiden Wilson have provided some solid minutes off of the bench as well. Waltonville is looking like a well-oiled machine and will be a tough out in the 1A Postseason. The Spartans just won their third-straight Christopher Turkey Tournament with a victory over another tough Midland Trail Conference and Jefferson County opponent, Webber, 54-47. They’ve also beaten 2A Fairfield 62-48 and blew out 3A Carbondale 63-35. The Spartans will travel to Sandoval on Wednesday evening.

The Woodlawn Cardinals have started the year out at 6-0 under 4th-year head coach Luke Cooper. The Cardinals are ranked #3 in the state in 1A right now and have a very talented mix of returning players, key transfers and a coaching addition that brings a ton of experience with him. Woodlawn finished just 19-13 a year ago and lost to regional host Christopher in the semi-final game. But that was a year ago and Woodlawn brings back everyone from that group plus some more. Cooper's uncle, longtime Olney head coach Rob Flanagan, joins the Woodlawn coaching staff and provides a lot of experience for the Cardinals. To make it a full on family reunion, Kyle, Luke’s little brother, transferred in from Waltonville after All-State honors as a junior. The 5’11” scoring machine has paced the Cardinal offense and made some big plays for his team already early in the season. The other transfer is 6’4” Kylan Moser who comes in from cross-county rival Webber. Moser poses as a dual threat as he can shoot the triple at a high clip but also scores and defends in the post extremely efficiently. Another returning starter and senior for the Cardinals is 6’5” Baylor Rollie. Rollie is another player that has point-forward type abilities as he can score in the post but also has a solid mid-range game and can work his way to the bucket with ease. He works his tail off on the defensive end. 6’3” junior Luke McKay is another big scoring option for the Cardinals. He can shoot the ball anywhere on the floor but also possesses the length to beat you in the post as well. He is putting together a very good high school campaign so far. The list of long arms continues as 6’5” junior Tyson Frick patrols the paint for the Woodlawn Cardinals. Frick length and speed allow him to block shots and get to the rim with ease. He also possesses a nice mid-range shot. 6’3” sophomore Tucker Downes has been the Cardinals’ first go to guy off the bench as he has provided some valuable minutes. Downes can outwork you in the post but also knock down the triple if he is left open out there. 6’1” sophomore Ian Bennett has also provided some big minutes off the bench for Coach Cooper as he has gained about 20 pounds of muscle over the off-season. His strength, speed and intensity provide a huge spark off the bench for the Cardinals. If this group keeps beating quality teams at this rate, Woodlawn will be one of the top teams to beat in the 1A postseason. The Cardinals have opened the year at 5-0, winning the Carlyle Kaskaskian Classic for the first time ever in their gutty 50-49 win over 2A state-ranked Pinckneyville. Woodlawn also beat a tough Okawville team 59-49. The Cardinals will host Christopher on Friday.

You can’t talk about 3A basketball without mentioning the winningest high school program in the country, the Centralia Orphans. 19th-year head coach Lee Bennett has eclipsed over 700 wins in his coaching career and will add to it this year as he has nearly everyone back from a group that finished just one possession shy of a sectional title last year. 6’3” sophomore Archie Goewey returns for the Orphans as he was the first ever freshman to be named the Centralia Holiday Tournament MVP last year. His shiftiness and ability to score from anywhere on the floor poses a problem for opposing defenses. 6’1” guard Devin Meier returns as the lone senior in the starting lineup for the Orphans. That’s scary to even think about. Meier provides a veteran presence for a young but battle-tested Centralia team. His speed and ability to shoot the ball at a high clip from anywhere on the floor make him a problem for opposition. 6’2” sophomore Kenny Bratton is back for the Orphans and fills another guard position. His insane speed and shiftiness allow him to get to the rim with ease. Bratton also shoots the triple at a high clip and forces a lot of turnovers on the defensive end. He should be a key piece of the Centralia success this year. 6’2” junior forward Michael Organ is back for more as he contributed greatly to the Centralia success in 2024-25. Organ is a sharpshooter that can not be left alone on the floor. He’s also an outstanding defender and can beat you off the dribble. Rounding out the starting lineup is 6’2” junior Jaxson Hancock who played some big time varsity minutes last year for the Orphans. He can blow by defenders and shoot the ball from anywhere on the floor as well and is an excellent defender. Kruz Jackson is a 6’1” sophomore that can light it up from the floor as well as he can shoot from anywhere. This Centralia team may just be the best shooting team in 3A this year. Coach Bennett’s group is ranked #3 in 3A to start the year as they’ve began this campaign at 6-0. The Orphans have blown out everyone they’ve played this far, including a 71-44 beatdown over University City to win the Roxana Hoopsgiving Classic. The Orphans will face Jerseyville tonight on the road.

6th-year head coach Tim Holloway and his Mt. Vernon Rams added another regional title to the trophy case last year before getting outed by Triad in the sectional semi-final. The good news? The Rams return nearly all of that 18-11 team from a year ago along with a couple of new faces. 6’6” senior Cale Maurer returns for the Rams after an outstanding junior campaign. The big lefty is a strong paint presence for Mt. Vernon but is a threat from deep as well as he can shoot it at a high clip. As if guarding one left-handed big wasn’t enough, the Rams have a second in 6’4” junior Dave Barnes. Barnes has been the leading scorer for the Rams this season and provides a ton of strength and scoring ability, especially in the paint. Dave can knock down the triple if left open as well. Transferring in from Carterville is 5’10” senior Kaden Wilson who has been very valuable for the Rams so far, tossing in around 6 points and 3.5 rebounds per game. The shifty guard can shoot the triple but also gets to the rim with ease. 5’10” junior Lucas Shelby Jr. has stepped into a big role and is the key ball handler for the Rams. Shelby’s ability to get around defenders and get to the rim is more than impressive and he shoots the triple at a high percentage. Shelby’s speed with the ball is second to none in the area. 6’4” senior Eli Prost rounds out the Rams’ starting lineup and provides some very valuable minutes for the orange and black. Prost can knock down the triple at a high percentage but also go to work in the paint. Eli has a high basketball IQ and isn’t afraid to take the big shot. 5’10” sophomore Wyatt Evans, 6’4” junior Daniel Nelson, 5’11” sophomore Chris Rudolph and 6’0” junior NaZavion Nesbit have all provided quality minutes off of the bench for the Rams. This talented Mt. Vernon club is off to a 4-0 start as they currently sit at #3 in the 3A state rankings. They’ve knocked off Triad, Mascoutah, Carbondale and just beat 4A Alton on Saturday, 64-49. The Rams are off until their date with Centralia at Trout Arena on Friday.